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WE only had to wait two minutes from the first shrill blast of Stuart
Dougal’s whistle to see the most talked and written about left knee in
Scottish football given its first test.

As Craig Bellamy sprinted towards the Rangers penalty area in pursuit
of a through ball, Marvin Andrews raced across to try and close him
down. Ronald Wattereus, his goalkeeper, had decided he was better
placed to snuff out the early threat and in a moment which caused a
collective intake of breath among the home fans, the pair collided.

The ball broke away from Bellamy, to be booted to safety by Sotirios
Kyrgiakos, but all eyes were on the Greek’s central defensive partner,
the 29-year-old Trinidad and Tobago international whose intense
religious belief has seen him controversially refuse surgery on the
damaged ligaments in his left knee.

In an instant, Andrews was up on his feet, apparently showing no ill
effects. The Ibrox PA announcer, who had cheesily played I’m A Believer
as Andrews warmed up with his team-mates before the match, must have
heaved a huge sigh of relief that he was not being forced to call an
early substitution.

Time would eventually be called on Andrews’ involvement by manager Alex
McLeish, but not until seven minutes from the end of a match in which
he went some way to justifying his claims that he can continue his
top-flight career without going under the surgeon’s knife.

It remains to be seen just how effective the power of faith healing can
be, but not even the biggest sceptic could reasonably argue that
Andrews’ was adversely affected by his injury yesterday.

In a generally solid 83 minutes of action, the only handicap the big fellow suffered from was an understandable rustiness.

Since suffering the injury at Dens Park on March 13, when he scored a
late goal to keep Rangers’ championship challenge on track, Andrews has
played just 45 minutes of reserve team football. It would be that
consideration more than any other which occupied McLeish’s mind as he
weighed up the bold decision to play Andrews instead of Bob Malcolm
yesterday.

McLeish clearly hoped Andrews could be as dominant and effective
against the physical threat of John Hartson and Chris Sutton as he had
been when Rangers broke his Old Firm managerial duck at Parkhead with a
2-0 win back in February. While never as imperious yesterday as he had
been that afternoon, Andrews nonetheless competed effectively with
Celtic’s powerful forward players.

He was predictably caught out for pace on occasions, but there are few
defenders who are not found wanting in that department when they come
up against the electric Craig Bellamy. Andrews might also have done
better at Celtic’s 21st-minute opening goal, finding himself on the
wrong side of Stilian Petrov as the Bulgarian directed a sweet header
beyond Wattereus, but that again could be blamed on factors outwith his
injury.

It would be completely against his natural instincts, but even Andrews
may have been tempted to curse the big man upstairs on the stroke of
half-time when his ferocious header from Fernando Ricksen’s corner kick
thundered back off David Marshall’s crossbar, leaving Rangers trailing
2-0 at the interval following Bellamy’s magnificent 35th-minute goal.

A retaliatory strike at that stage may have given Rangers the necessary
impetus and belief to stage a second-half comeback but fortune, divine
or otherwise, had deserted Andrews. Although he visibly tired in the
second half, he was as wholehearted and committed as ever, as typified
by one terrific recovery tackle to dispossess Craig Beattie inside the
penalty area.

Andrews’ heart has never been in question, of course, but those who
raised eyebrows at the time Rangers signed him from Livingston would
cast doubt over his basic levels of ability.

When he strode out of defence to send an attempted through ball to his
strikers wildly out of play, the thought recurred that he may simply be
some way short of what is required to succeed at the top level.

The Rangers supporters, even those who share that view, nonetheless
greatly appreciate Andrews’ spirit and determination, qualities they
would feel were lacking from too many of his team-mates yesterday on a
day when it was at times difficult to discern the must-win nature of
the match from their approach to it.

When Andrews was withdrawn for Malcolm with 83 minutes on the clock, he
left to a standing ovation from the home fans and a warm hug and pat on
the head from McLeish.

It was not only the Rangers manager who was impressed, by his display,
revealing afterwards that Celtic’s first-team coach Steve Walford, a
fine centre half in his time at Arsenal and West Ham, had lavished
praise on Andrews.

"I was speaking to Steve and he couldn’t believe Marvin’s performance,"
said McLeish. "The injury wasn’t a problem but we were worried about
his legs in terms of fitness. That’s why I took him off and maybe could
have done so five minutes earlier. He was running on empty."

By full-time, despite substitute Steven Thompson’s late goal, so too
was Rangers’ title challenge. Not even the most faithful of their flock
will believe in the miracle of overcoming a five-point deficit in the
remaining four games of the season.